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Since we happen to have a generous supply of eggs from our happy, healthy roaming chickens I’m always looking for more recipes using eggs. This morning I fixed baked eggs in muffin tins. First spray the muffin pan with your favorite oil, then line each tin with pepperoni or Canadian bacon or ham. Then break an egg into the pan and top with tomato slices and basil. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. It’s that simple. You can add cheese if you like and other toppings. This can be fun to let your guests make their own too just the way they want it. We had it for breakfast with our coffee but brunch is good also.

Last Summer one of my Ohio friends, Joy Limbach, gave me these hot peppers from her garden. They are called Scotch Bonnet and hotter than blazes! It only takes one for a pot of chili and two if you’re very brave. I used as many as I could when I first got them and then put them in the freezer. I had forgotten about them until today. I was fixing pork chops for dinner and decided I’d put the peppers in the oil while I fried them. Just in case the freezer had taken away some of the heat I used three! Then I made gravy from the dripping to pour over the rice. These peppers should maybe come with a warning!! No heat had escaped during the freezing of these peppers. I had to open all the windows and doors, put on my glasses and if I had a gas mask I would have used it! But my family raved about the delicious chops!! This was a great way to use these peppers and I will do it again. Warning… DO NOT EAT THE COOKED PEPPERS!! Throw them away..🔥

After many years of raising two very energetic little boys my sister, Rose Carol, had a precious baby girl. She called her Alycia Marie. I’m not sure where the Alycia part came from but I know Marie came from our maternal grandmother, Dessa Marie Tracy. Alycia grew up not in the shadows of her older brothers but very independent and capable of doing whatever she set her mind to. Along with this strong personality though she has this sweet gentle feminine side that matches her mother. Even with her living in California and us living way on the other side of the country we have managed to be together almost every year and when we do it’s for a week or two or three….so we’re very lucky to know each other well. On my last trip west she had us come to her house where we shared a meal from one of her favorite chefs, Barefoot Contessa , called baked shrimp scampi. It was a perfect evening between the sounds of enjoying the meal and the laughter that is always present when our family finally gets together again and we catch each other up on all the happenings of our lives since we were together last.

This does not take long but it’s also nice to make ahead. You can get creative by adding granola, different nuts, raisins or flaky coconut. ❄️ Stay warm!!

While I was fixing dinner and sweetening my fresh carrots with brown sugar I noticed a recipe on the back of the brown sugar box. It looked simple so I made it. Not only was it the perfect dessert topped with fruit but the kitchen smelled like I had been burning a sugar scented candle.

You hear about adding lemons or limes to your water to add flavor so you’ll drink more. And mint leaves are good too. But have you heard of adding a fresh sprig of rosemary, either to your glass or to the pitcher? I’ve been reading lately how rosemary helps with memory too. I didn’t even like rosemary very well but it’s been growing on me lately. Maybe I will try it on chicken next👍

Pomegranates are beautiful dark pink or red fruits. I’ve always thought they were hard to eat until this weekend when my friend Barbara Johnson showed me how to get into them. You can’t eat the outside skin but inside they are filled with these little seeds called arils. This is what you eat. Each aril surprisingly not only has fiber but vitamin D and C and potassium. You can eat them just as there are or add to your fruit salad or tossed salad or on top of your yogurt or cottage cheese. My sister, Rose Carol, tops her ice cream and sherbet with these seeds and the sweet and tart together make a perfect pair. So don’t be afraid. Go buy one and cut off each end then slice like you would a grapefruit. To think all these years I’ve only gotten to eaten them when my sister prepared them for me!